Department for Transport

Transport Update

Grant Shapps: The Government has conducted a review of the temporary and precautionary international travel measures introduced to slow the spread of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant.From 4am on Wednesday 15 December, all 11 remaining countries and territories will be removed from the red list. As such, passengers arriving from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, will not have to stay in a managed quarantine hotel on arrival in England from this date. As Omicron cases rise in the UK and in countries around the world, the travel red list is less effective in slowing the incursion of the variant from abroad and these temporary measures are no longer proportionate.While all countries have been removed, the red list policy remains in place alongside the managed quarantine service policy, acting as a crucial line of defence against the importation of variants of concern.The additional temporary testing measures for passengers taken in response to Omicron also remain in place. The Government recognises the impact that these temporary health measures have on the travel and aviation industry, and they will be reviewed again in the first week of January.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Approval of funds for full and final settlement for postmasters with overturned criminal convictions

Paul Scully: This House is aware of the distressing impact that problems with the Post Office’s Horizon IT system have had on the lives and livelihoods of many postmasters.The Court of Appeal handed down a landmark judgment on 23 April 2021 which quashed the convictions of 39 postmasters whose prosecution had relied on Horizon evidence. 72 convictions have now been quashed to date, and several others are in progress. There are potentially hundreds more postmasters whose convictions have relied on Horizon evidence and may seek to have their convictions quashed.We want to see these postmasters with quashed convictions compensated fairly and swiftly. So far, the vast majority of postmasters who have had their convictions quashed have each received an interim compensation payment of up to £100,000 while they wait for the next steps in the proceedings.I am pleased to confirm that today the Government is making funding available to facilitate Post Office to make final compensation payments to postmasters whose convictions have been overturned. We are working with Post Office to finalise the arrangements that will enable the final settlement negotiations to begin as soon as possible. By providing this funding, Government is helping Post Office deliver the fair compensation postmasters deserve.With the Secretary of State’s status as sole shareholder in the Post Office, my Department continues to engage actively with Post Office Limited on this and will maintain strong oversight of the compensation process.

Department of Health and Social Care

The Food and Feed Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2021

Edward Argar: Following the end of the Transition Period, the Government continues to regard food and feed safety and standards a top priority. This Statutory Instrument corrects and addresses deficiencies both in the retained EU law as well as the domestic legislation that provided for its execution and enforcement in England.The Food and Feed Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2021 will be made under powers in the Food Safety Act 1990 and the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.The purpose of this instrument is to:amend Article 53 of the retained General Food Law to correct a deficiency that has arisen as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The amendment will ensure that the emergency measures that may be applied where a serious risk to health is identified can be applied to all goods entering into GB;amend the authorisation provisions for feed additives and GM food/feed, so that the decisions made by Ministers will be enacted through legislation making these consistent with other retained EU food and feed law; andprovide a time limited period of adjustment, up until 30 September 2022, for businesses to meet new UK address labelling requirements for certain food products. This would allow businesses to use up old labelling stocks, without facing enforcement action for failure to label affected products with a UK address during this time. As required under the ‘enhanced scrutiny procedure’ set out in schedule 8 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, the draft instrument and Explanatory Memorandum have been published online for a period of at least 28 days before the instrument is formally laid in Parliament. To read the full draft Statutory Instrument and Explanatory Memorandum, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulations-on-food-and-feed-safety

Designated Settings Indemnity Scheme Extension

Gillian Keegan: Further to the written statement on 29 June 2021, I am tabling this statement for the benefit of Honourable and Right Honourable members to bring to their attention the undertaking of a contingent liability. This relates to an extension of the Designated Settings Indemnity Support (DSIS), which offers targeted and time-limited state-backed indemnity arrangements to care homes registered, or intending to register, as “Designated Settings”, and which are unable to obtain sufficient insurance cover.On 18 January 2021, the Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment announced in a Written Ministerial Statement, and accompanying Departmental Minute, provision of these temporary indemnity arrangements under the DSIS. The DSIS includes cover for clinical negligence, employer’s and public liability where a care provider seeking to become a Designated Setting is unable to secure sufficient commercial insurance, or where an existing provider has been operating without sufficient cover. Employer’s and public liability is covered under the new Coronavirus Temporary Indemnity Scheme; clinical negligence is covered by the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts. The DSIS is supervised by DHSC and administered by NHS Resolution, and to date, has proved to be an effective package of support to Designated Settings.DSIS initially provided cover for Designated Settings until the end of March 2021 and was subsequently extended until 30 September 2021. Now, following a further review of DSIS, it has been extended until 31 March 2022, in order to maintain the current level of support for these vital settings. This extension will benefit current DSIS participants, as well any additional settings who may wish to apply for the support and who meet the criteria for inclusion. We will review the progress of the support ahead of this end-date.I regret that in this circumstance, due to the need to ensure that there were no gaps in DSIS cover after the former 30 September end-date, the normal 14 sitting days for consideration was not possible. A Departmental Minute will be laid in the House of Commons providing more detail on this contingent liability.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Hong Kong Six-monthly Report

Elizabeth Truss: The latest Six-monthly Report on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong was published today, and is attached. It covers the period from 1 January to 30 June 2021. The report has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. A copy is also available on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office). I commend the report to the House.Hong Kong Six-monthly Report  (pdf, 896.1KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

State Pension Age Review

Dr Thérèse Coffey: My Department is launching the second Government Review of State Pension age, which must be published by May 2023, under Section 27 of the Pensions Act 2014.As the number of people over State Pension age increases, due to a growing population and people on average living longer, we need to make sure that our decisions on how to manage the costs of State Pension provide fairness to both taxpayers and pensioners and that it continues to provide the foundation for retirement planning and financial security.In line with the legislative requirements to review whether the rules about pensionable age remain appropriate, this Review will consider a wide range of evidence from every part of the United Kingdom. It will explore the implications of the latest life expectancy data, including evidence on healthy life expectancy disparities, to provide a balanced appraisal of the costs and options to make sure our decisions on State Pension age are robust and transparent. The Review will also consider how we best support an ageing population and their opportunities to work.In line with the statutory framework, I am also commissioning two independent reports to contribute to the evidence-base that will inform this Review. I will be commissioning the Government Actuary to provide a report analysing the latest life expectancy projections. I am also commissioning Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG to provide a report which considers the metrics we use for analysis when setting State Pension age. Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG has a recognised wealth of senior level experience from a career in business and the public sector, including serving as a company director, working in the UK and internationally as well as being a pension scheme trustee in a FTSE 100 company. I welcome an external consideration of this issue. I have also asked Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG to consider the views of other experts and stakeholders. I attach the Terms of Reference for Baroness Neville-Rolfe’s report to this statement, which will also be made available today on the www.gov.uk website.Terms of Reference (pdf, 21.1KB)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Update

Chloe Smith: Today the department will publish the latest update on progress on making backdated payments to Personal Independence Payment claimants who are affected by the MH and RJ decisions of the Upper Tribunal (UT). The release will be published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/pip-administrative-exercise-progress-on-cases-clearedThe MH decision changed how overwhelming psychological distress is considered when assessing someone’s ability to plan and follow a journey. The RJ decision changed how we decide whether someone can carry out an activity safely and if they need supervision.As at 1 November 2021, we have reviewed around 980,000 cases against the MH decision. This includes cases where claimants have previously been assessed as having ‘overwhelming psychological distress’ or who have a ‘psychiatric disorder’ as one of their main health conditions. We have also reviewed around 1,100,000 cases against the RJ decision. This includes cases where claimants have a ‘neurological disease’ as one of their main health conditions. All reviews will have been carried out by a Case Manager within the Department.Around 8,200 arrears payments, totalling around £42 million, have been made. We gave a commitment that no-one would see their PIP reduced as a result of this exercise.In addition, we have written to the vast majority of other claimants in scope of the exercise we said we would in our update to the House on 11 February 2020 (hcws104). We are continuing to send out letters and carry out reviews for any claimant who asks us to.This has been a complex and substantial exercise, involving over a million reviews against two UT decisions. Our approach demonstrates that we have prioritised claimants who are most likely to benefit, in order to make backdated payments as quickly as possible. We are now writing to claimants who we do not expect to benefit, so they can request a review if they think they have been affected by these decisions.We have set out further background to this release in an updated Frequently Asked Questions. I will deposit a copy of this document in the House Library.We will release a final report at the end of 2022, when we know the outcomes of outstanding reviews.

COP26

COP26 Update

Alok Sharma: COP26 concluded with agreement by all Parties to the historic Glasgow Climate Pact. This Pact, combined with increased ambition and action across mitigation, adaptation, and finance means that the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C remains in sight. But it will only be delivered with concerted and immediate international efforts.Today, I want to update the House on our priorities for the Presidency Year, to ensure we build on and secure the legacy of our COP Presidency and the UK’s international reputation as a climate leader.Delivering the Glasgow Climate PactThroughout the UK’s Presidency year, we will work with Egypt as incoming Presidency, the UNFCCC Secretariat, and to convene Parties to deliver on the agreed outcomes in the Glasgow Climate Pact. In doing so we will continue to champion science, especially the IPCC and its major reports in 2022, and the urgency of action. The Paris Agreement made promises and now Glasgow’s legacy is focused on delivery.MitigationIn the context of the latest climate science, all countries have agreed to revisit and if necessary strengthen their 2030 targets for urgent action this decade. Progress was made in the run up to Glasgow and in our Presidency year, we will work with all Parties to deliver on this commitment and go further and faster to close the gap to a 1.5°C pathway. This will include working with countries to explore further sectoral action and public and private opportunities for investing in their low carbon resilient transition. We will work with the UNFCCC and other international organisations, and seek to use the calendar of international events in 2022 to progress this work. We look forward to working closely with Egypt and the UAE, as incoming COP27 and COP28 Presidents, and with Germany and Indonesia, respectively G7 and G20 Presidencies, to ensure commitments and agreements made at COP26 are built upon and delivered.Adaptation, loss and damageAt COP26 we made significant progress on adaptation and boosted efforts to deal with climate impacts. The Glasgow-Sharm el Sheikh Work Programme on the Global Goal on Adaptation was launched, for which four mandated workshops will be held in 2022. Developed countries also agreed to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries by 2025. This is a significant step forward which will help reduce vulnerability, strengthen resilience and increase the capacity of people and the planet to adapt to the impacts of climate change.We will work with countries to come good on this commitment, increasing the availability, efficiency and accessibility of adaptation finance for climate vulnerable countries and providing support and leadership to initiatives that are part of the UK’s Presidency mandate.Loss and Damage was a critical issue at COP26 and we have moved into a new phase focused on action. Under our Presidency we will ensure progress continues to be made through the new Glasgow Dialogue on arrangements for funding relevant activities, and making sure the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage gets up and running.FinanceUnder the UK’s Presidency, 95% of the largest developed country climate finance providers made new commitments, with many doubling or even quadrupling their support for developing countries to take climate action. These pledges mean that we can provide confidence that the $100 billion finance goal will be met by developed countries and multilateral development banks by 2023 at the latest, with $500 billion being delivered over the period 2021-2025. We will continue to build momentum on mobilising the $100bn per year to support developing countries, including increased finance to help vulnerable countries cope with climate impacts. We will also oversee the start of the new ad-hoc work programme on the new collective quantified goal.We have improved financial flows to those most vulnerable by launching the Access to Finance Taskforce with Fiji, including a commitment of £100 million of funding to support climate vulnerable countries to deliver on their climate plans. Pilots will be launched in Bangladesh, Fiji, Jamaica, Rwanda and Uganda. Building on the South African Just Energy Transition Partnership model and the UK’s leadership of the G7, we will explore new opportunities for transformational, country-led climate action through the Clean and Green Initiative. In this context, we will also champion climate action as a core component of the work of international financial institutions, to support the delivery of Paris-aligned growth and development.We will build on the progress made in Glasgow in aligning private finance flows with the Paris Agreement globally; and in providing tailored support to specific countries and sectors. We will work with partners to leverage the trillions of private finance needed to finance the transition in all countries including the major emitters, and remain accountable and transparent throughout.Driving sectoral changeCOP26 must mark the start of a decade of accelerated climate action. At Glasgow we saw countries commit to accelerate the phase-out of coal power, halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation, speed up the switch to electric vehicles and commit to work together to reduce emissions in key sectors.Progress in these and other sectors has an important part to play in unlocking further progress on medium and long-term targets. In the year ahead, we will work to turn sectoral commitments into clear delivery plans, including through implementing the Energy Transition Council and Zero Emissions Vehicles Transition Council 2022 action plans, so we can accelerate the pace of the global transition to zero emission vehicles and meet our Paris Agreement goal. On coal, we will work with partners to ensure that commitments from key G20 countries to end overseas coal financing are made good, that signatories to the Glasgow Declaration on Ending International Fossil Fuel Support implement their commitments and that more countries have the support to enable them to commit to new coal power and to phasing out existing coal plants.On forests and land use, we will work with endorsers of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use to assess progress, raise ambition and accelerate global action on forests and land use, in order to meet our collective target of halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030. We will work with our partners to ensure the financial commitments made to protect key forested areas – such as the Congo Basin and the Amazon – are fully implemented, and that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities receive the support they were promised at COP26. We will continue the work to tackle the financial incentives driving deforestation, supporting the financial institutions and development banks in delivering their commitments to eliminate deforestation from their portfolios and align them with nature. We will also work with fellow governments to implement the actions in the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade roadmap, which was launched at COP26 by 28 countries responsible for 75% of global trade in forest risk commodities.As in 2021, we will work with partners to ensure major events in the international calendar including at CBD COP 15, G7, UNGA and G20 support these objectives and will use the full range of instruments to encourage higher ambition NDCs, further commitments on net zero, and on coal, cars, cash and trees.Delivering an inclusive Presidency YearThe Glasgow Climate Pact emphasises the importance of collaboration across sectors and all parts of society to deliver effective climate action. All those who make and shape our economies and societies have a role to play in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.At COP26, we were pleased to agree the 10-year Glasgow Work Programme on Action for Climate Empowerment, and the new 3-year work programme on local communities and Indigenous Peoples, alongside other important steps. Through the UN-backed global campaign Race to Zero, we saw nearly 8,000 businesses and other non-state actors committed to halving global emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest - the largest ever such coalition.During our Presidency year, we remain committed to taking a whole-of-society approach. We will work in collaboration with civil society, young people, businesses and governments to deliver on our commitments. We will continue to encourage countries to remove the barriers to participation and work with them to implement the necessary policies and projects.Delivering this ambitious programme will only be possible with a whole-of-government and all of UK approach. A strong team will remain in the Cabinet Office coordinating work across Government to support and deliver the UK’s COP Presidency. The FCDO’s diplomatic network will remain essential to our international efforts, as will leadership from BEIS, Defra, DfT, DIT, HMT and others.Existing Parliamentary processes will also ensure the necessary scrutiny and support to deliver on the commitments made at COP26.

Home Office

Publication of the Government’s response to a Call for Evidence on airside licensing at international airports in England and Wales

Kit Malthouse: The 2017 report of the House of Lords Select Committee that carried out a post-legislative scrutiny of the Licensing Act 2003 recommended that the Government should revoke the exemption from the Licensing Act that applies to most international airports in England and Wales. Following the report the Government issued the Airside Alcohol Licensing at International Airports in England and Wales: Call for Evidence. Its aim was to understand the scale of the problem of drunk and disruptive passengers, the extent to which airports and airlines use the existing statutory powers and other measures to address the problem, the impact of the proposed application of the Act on all affected parties, and to assess the practicalities of administering a licensing regime airside. Since the Government launched the Call for Evidence on introducing alcohol licensing airside at international airports in England and Wales, we have seen the aviation industry and airports heavily impacted by the global pandemic of Covid-19. The pandemic has meant a significant delay to publishing this response, however these unique circumstances have not changed the decision that was reached. The Call for Evidence has not provided new evidence which makes a compelling case for extending all of the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 to airside premises. The premises which serve alcohol airside operate in a highly secure environment which function in a very different way to high streets and night-time economies across England and Wales. There would be limited benefit in requiring those premises to obtain a premises licence. Many safeguards that can be introduced by a local licensing regime like enhanced security, searches or CCTV are already in place within an airport. In any event, the provisions of the Act that prohibit the sale of alcohol to anyone under the age of 18 and purchasing alcohol on behalf of somebody who is under the age of 18, apply to the sale of alcohol whether they are made from licensed premises or not. The transient and short-term nature of the clientele mean that considerations around noise, or impact on residential areas for example are greatly reduced in this environment. In addition, there are already penalties in place to address drunkenness in passengers. It is an offence under the Air Navigation Order to be drunk on an aircraft and airlines have the authority to prevent passengers they believe are intoxicated from boarding aircraft. For these reasons, the government does not intend to extend all of the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 airside. The Government Response will be available on GOV.UK

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Third quarterly report on intergovernmental relations

Michael Gove: Earlier today, the UK Government published the third quarterly report of our engagement with the devolved administrations on the GOV.UK page for intergovernmental relations. The report has also been deposited in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament.The report details engagement between the UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive between 1 July and 30 September 2021. It covers a period of collaboration on a range of important areas, including preparations to ensure a safe and secure COP26, as well as partnerships between UK and devolved administrations on net zero, COVID-19 response and recovery, the resettlement of Afghan refugees and the rollout of COVID-19 booster vaccines across the UK.The report is part of the UK Government’s ongoing commitment to transparency of intergovernmental relations to Parliament and the public.